Underexposure

I have used three different cameras to shoot the work for my weekly assignments. One thing I have noticed is that different cameras will meter "normal exposure" differently. There are some things I like about each camera I have used. The camera I am using now has an aperture priority mode. This is suitable for the majority of my shooting.

I am having problems with exposure now that lighting conditions are so much brighter. I had gotten used to shooting in low light and low contrast conditions that are common in the winter when there is not much snow on the ground. I am going to have to experiment a little bit to overcome this problem. I am assuming that I am getting some shots that are underexposed because the brighter areas in a scene are telling the camera to use a faster shutter speed.

As much as I prefer the way the camera I am currently using feels in my hand, I may go back to using my Pentax K1000. In bright conditions, I cannot even see the shutter speed the camera is choosing, as displayed in the viewfinder.

On the other hand, I may try changing my Exposure Value on the camera I am currently using and see how I fare. I really do like some of the features of the camera. If I can solve the underexposure problem, I am willing to live with some of the camera's other shortcomings since I like the way it feels in my hand, prefer the auto wind and auto advance, ability to uses aperture and shutter priority modes, etc.

Some of the nuances of photography dictate that a little bit of one-on-one instruction out in the field could go a long, long way. Unfortunately, we do not have that opportunity in the class I am taking. Sometimes, all of the explanation and discussion in the classroom has less value than firsthand experience. I have learned quite a bit by going out and shooting myself. I guess I will have to continue with some of the experimentation and see what conclusions can be drawn from my results. Assuming I REMEMBER to compensate with EV the next time I go out shooting, I should be able to document the results in next week's post.